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Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Reference / EXPLAINER,Q&A
Feb 24, 2019
Okinawa's referendum on relocating the U.S. Futenma base to Henoko: Why now and what's the point?
On Sunday, Okinawa Prefecture's 41 cities, towns and villages held a referendum on whether to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan, in the central part of the main island, to a replacement facility being built beside Camp Schwab off the coast of Henoko. It was the first prefecture-wide...
JAPAN / Beyond Tokyo
Feb 24, 2019
As the world drowns in plastic, Kameoka in Kyoto and other cities across Japan fight back
Plastic pollution in the ocean has become one of the world's most urgent environmental problems. Footage of vast fields of floating plastic debris between California and Hawaii — now commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — have driven home the gravity of the problem, with scientists and...
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 16, 2019
Osaka in the spotlight ahead of G20 and elections
January and early February in Kansai, and Japan as a whole, is a busy time for local leaders. New Year's greetings are exchanged by (mostly) elderly men at stuffy buffet parties in luxury hotels. Their job is to stand around holding a white paper napkin-covered drink and toast to, well, something, after...
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 14, 2019
Campaign kicks off for Okinawa referendum on U.S. base relocation plan
The voter turnout rate is crucial to how the results of the referendum will be perceived in Tokyo and Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 8, 2019
Kansai execs have big dreams of transport projects ahead of G20, Osaka Expo and possible casino
With the 2025 World Expo secured for Yumeshima district in Osaka Bay and growing confidence the man-made island will also host one of Japan's first casino resorts, Kansai's business leaders are stepping up efforts to win local approval and central government funding for major transportation infrastructure...
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 7, 2019
University in Osaka aims to hone hotel staff with omotenashi to serve Japan's foreign guests
One of the key factors driving Japan's unprecedented tourism boom is its culture of hospitality — epitomized by the concept of omotenashi, which can be roughly translated as "wholeheartedly looking after guests."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 6, 2019
With the G20 facing numerous challenges, do the summit's engagement groups have the answers?
In the run-up to the Group of Twenty Leaders’ Summit in Osaka in late June, several related meetings of what are known as engagement groups are scheduled to take place in Tokyo and around the country. One of the more influential engagement groups is T20, or Think 20, whose members include influential...
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2019
Gender, aging and climate to feature at Osaka G20, but Japan wants strong message on stable global growth
As host of this year's Group of 20 leaders' summit, a key official said Monday that Japan's most important task will be to chair a gathering that concludes with a strong message promoting stable worldwide economic growth.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2019
U.S. OKs planned $2.15 billion sale of two Aegis Ashore missile-defense systems to Japan
The U.S. agreed Tuesday to sell two Aegis Ashore missile-defense systems and other military equipment to Japan at an estimated cost of $2.15 billion.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 28, 2019
Japan-U.S. law enforcement fingerprint data-sharing pact kicks off, raising privacy concerns
Earlier this month, Japan and the United States began sharing fingerprint data among their law enforcement agencies under a bilateral agreement.
JAPAN / Society / Beyond Tokyo
Jan 27, 2019
Japan's aging hunters look for fresh blood to solve boar woes
When the world rang in 2019, it also prepared to usher in the Year of the Boar. But in Sasayama, a picturesque, historical city of about 42,000 nestled in rural Hyogo Prefecture about an hour by train from Osaka Station, the wild boar is a symbol of pride, part of a famous local dish and a bane to farmers....
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 20, 2019
A Japanese city plans to ban plastic shopping bags, but can it push its larger neighbors to follow suit?
International concern over the environmental damage done by the use of plastic in various forms is now the topic of political and economic discussions across the planet. Dealing with plastic waste, especially in the ocean, is one of the long-term issues that Japan has promised to address at this year's...
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2019
Osaka officials meet residents near G20 site to discuss traffic restrictions and other measures ahead of June meeting
Residents near the venue for the June 28-29 Group of 20 leaders' summit will face traffic restrictions immediately before and after the meeting, Osaka officials said Wednesday evening, but the exact measures are still being worked out.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 9, 2019
New Year's party skipped as tensions run high between Osaka's ruling coalition partners
As Osaka enters 2019 with a full political schedule, including local and national elections and the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit, relations between ruling coalition partners Komeito and Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka), a local political party, remain tense, creating potential political problems in both...
JAPAN / Society
Jan 9, 2019
Abe's plan to battle Japan's regional brain drain draws mixed reviews
Like other major cities around the world, Tokyo acts as a magnet for the rest of the country, attracting people whose energy and talents spark new businesses and forms of art and culture, which, in turn, attract even more people.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 26, 2018
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui reveals deal with Komeito to hold referendum on merging city wards
Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui revealed Wednesday that his Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) political group had signed a deal with Komeito, in April 2017, to hold a referendum on merging the city's wards during the current terms of the prefectural and municipal assembly members, which expire in April 2019.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 23, 2018
Most Kyoto firms have no plans to add foreign workers, survey finds
The government may be planning to bring in nearly 345,000 foreign workers by 2023, but in Kyoto, a recent survey shows most firms outside the hospitality sector have no plans to discuss adding overseas laborers to their workforce.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 23, 2018
With six months to go until G20 summit in Osaka, Japan sets out its agenda
With six months to go until the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, the basic agenda has been set for discussion on issues of global importance.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 15, 2018
From G20 to 2025 Expo, many challenges lay ahead for Kansai
In the moments after Osaka was awarded the 2025 World Expo on the early morning of Nov. 24, there was jubilation, back-slapping, and wide smiles. More than a few eyes glittered at the thought of what senior business leaders hoped would be a major cash cow. You could almost hear the clicking of soroban...
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2018
Osaka officials kick off preparations for 2025 World Expo
Within weeks of being awarded the event, Osaka leaders on Tuesday kicked off preparations for the 2025 World Expo.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
At first summit with Trump, Takaichi pledges 'new golden age' for alliance
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi raises her fist as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech in front of U.S. Navy personnel on board the U.S. Navy's USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the American naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
Abe shooting suspect Yamagami pleads guilty to murder
Members of the media gather outside the Nara District Court in the city of Nara on Tuesday hours before the start of the trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022.
Takaichi buys time and builds trust with ‘near-perfect’ Trump summit
U.S. President Donald Trump walks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier during a visit to the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JPYC, world’s first yen stablecoin, is issued
Noritaka Okabe, head of Japanese startup JPYC, at a news conference for the first yen stablecoin in Tokyo on Monday
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Oasis returns to Tokyo: Rain, rapture and rock
Fans wait to get into the Oasis show at Tokyo Dome on Saturday. While lining up in the rain, some broke into impromptu versions of the British rock group's hits.
Kyushu banzuke sets the stage to cement 2025’s sumo narratives
Onosato ahead of his bout against Aonishiki at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 18
Tokyo Film Festival opens with global stars and a spotlight on Asian storytelling
Director Junji Sakamoto (left) walked the Tokyo International Film Festival red carpet with Sayuri Yoshinaga (center) and Non (right), who both play mountaineer Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest, in the biopic "Climbing for Life."
Spanish artist and Japanese writer duos diversify the manga talent pool in Japan
"Menheim” is a dark fantasy manga with a story that centers on a girl’s quest to find a cure for her ill brother.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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